Save the date for Give & Get NYC’s upcoming Pantry Party to benefit the West Side Campaign Against Hunger!

On August 1st, head uptown to Prohibition at 503 Columbus Avenue (between 84th and 85th) at 6:30pm. Anyone who brings food donations with them to help fill the WSCAH Pantry will receive drink specials until 9pm.

Through a supermarket-style food pantry, the WSCAH alleviates hunger and creates a culture of self-reliance by providing food with dignity. They also provide wellness and cooking programs, in addition to counseling, to ensure all avenues of support are being explored and provided to clients. Located on West 86th Street, they serve low-income residents from all 5 boroughs regardless of household size or immigration status.

Attention Upper West Siders: Were you thinking about making a donation this holiday season and just haven’t gotten around to it? Well, have no fear because City Harvest and GrowNYC are making is easier than ever to donate fresh food this year.

Sunday December 18th, head over to the 79th st Greenmarket on Columbus Avenue. City Harvest will have a table set up to collect donations of fresh food from the market to help feed the hungry this holiday season. All you have to do is purchase some amazing fresh food, as you would for yourself, and bring it to the CH table on 79th Street on your way out.

For those who don’t know, last week I hosted a Pantry Party to benefit City Harvest’s Feed the Kids food drive. I think everyone had a good time, judging by the number of Pickle Back shots I saw delivered to our tables. Best of all, I received almost three times the amount of donations I had expected; the final tally came to over 150lbs! All of the donations were picked up by City Harvest and will help to feed thousands of NYC kids who don’t always have enough to eat, especially in the upcoming summer months. Thanks again to everyone who came out and donated, and a special thanks to Rob at Whiskey Tavern for hosting the event and hooking us up with some great discounts!

Beans were another popular donation, and luckily, our British friend Paul wasn’t in town that night to steal them. Apparently, those Brits love their beans: In 2009, 800 million tins were eaten in the UK. Considering that the second most prolific country was Australia, who ate a measly 60 million cans, it’s clear that our beans would have been in jeopardy had Paul been able to attend.

A Pickle Back shot is a shot of Jameson whiskey, followed by a shot of pickle juice. Sound gross? Don’t knock it til’ you try it-they’re surprisingly delicious.

The world’s largest canned-food structure consisted of 45,725 cans carefully stacked and arranged in approximately 280 hours (and of course, it was all donated to a good cause afterwards)

This event was the first of many that Give & Get NYC will be hosting in the coming months. I want to provide young professionals in NYC a way to get together for a few drinks and a good cause without breaking the bank. If you have any suggestions for venues or donations, please comment or email me-I’m always open to new ideas. Be on the look-out for another party invite coming in mid-August!